Oak Bay Bike Festival, Saturday, Sept 22, Willows Beach Park

[Lister Farrar]

In case you need inspiration for those family members to come to the festival, check these out.

Olympic bronze final http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayjDcA7Q ... ure=relmfu

Interview with Gillian after the Olympic final http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA7D2F-nOME

World number 6 ranked rider John Webster training at home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acCXFdC9KU4

[bill]

Anyone want to meet at Disco on Oak Bay for a coffee before? 9am?

[FairweatherMike]

Lister -
Clearly I should have been keeping up with this thread to learn of the task assignments, but life got in the way this week in the form of arrival of relatives from down under, and what has shaped up to be a family reunion this Saturday morning, so Dorothy and I have to bail unfortunately from the marshal thing. It looks like I (and perhaps Dorothy) could be available at the Festival to help out between 1 and 2, plus extra time for cleanup, taking down tents, etc. - whatever's needed.

My apologies!

[Lister Farrar]

Thanks for the heads up Mike.

Anyone out there on the fence about marshaling? Need three more.

[Lister Farrar]

Volunteer update #3

updated volunteer assignments

Marshals
9:30 to 11:00-ish
Meet at Willows Beach Park, sound tent, at 9:30 to get a vest and paddle. Bring a bike to get to your post.

• Brenna (plus coaching cyclocross)
  Shawn
  Alysha
  Tara
  Joe
  Duncan
  Catharine

Urgent, just had 2 have to drop out. need 4 more This is easy and quick. 1.5 hours. Police support , including 6 reserves, so lots of support. Lots of grateful riders and entertaining kids.


Police kids rodeo
11:30-2:00
to shepherd kids at rodeo stations. Police will provide the equipment and lead it.

Marshals can do this; it's after the community ride.

• Hugh
  Michelle
  Anjali
  Sage

Ride leaders
(meet at 9:30 at Willows beach park, sound tent)

• Andrew A
  Steve L
  Ritchie
  John D
  Bill
  Vanessa

Cyclocross course and coaching (edit. Set up at 7, unless we get lots o' folks, 8:30 if lots come)

• David B
  Duncan
  Catharine

Need 2 more for set up

[AndreaR]

Hi Lister,
I can help with marshalling if still needed.
Andrea

[Lister Farrar]

Hi Lister,
I can help with marshalling if still needed.
Andrea

Definitely! Thanks Andrea.

We're meeting at 9 at the sound tent at willows beach park to get vests paddles and instructions from the police.

3 more marshals to go!

What better way to recover from your three hours at sufferfest?

[Curran]

My wife Rina and I will come out to marshal tomorrow

[Lister Farrar]

My wife Rina and I will come out to marshal tomorrow

Woo hoo, made my day Curran thanks.

See you at 9 tomorrow at willows beach park.

One more to go. Anyone?

[Lister Farrar]

Volunteer update #4

updated volunteer assignments

Marshals
9:30 to 11:00-ish
Meet at Willows Beach Park, sound tent, at 9:30 to get a vest and paddle. Bring a bike to get to your post.

• Brenna (plus coaching cyclocross)
  Shawn
  Alysha
  Tara
  Joe
  Duncan
  Catharine
  Andrea
  Curran
  Rina

need one more. This is easy and quick. 1.5 hours. Police support , including 6 reserves, so lots of support. Lots of grateful riders and entertaining kids.


Police kids rodeo
11:30-2:00
to shepherd kids at rodeo stations. Police will provide the equipment and lead it.

Marshals can do this; it's after the community ride.

Hugh
Michelle
Anjali
Sage


Ride leaders
(meet at 9:30 at Willows beach park, sound tent)

Andrew A
Steve L
Ritchie
John D
Bill
Vanessa



Cyclocross course and coaching (edit. Set up at 7, unless we get lots o' folks, 8:30 if lots come)

David B
Duncan
Catharine


Need 2 more for set up

[Andrew]

http://www.cheknews.ca/index.php?option ... Itemid=136

[Lister Farrar]

Thanks a million to all the Tripleshotters that helped out.

Juniors David, Taylor, Liam, Una, Brenna, Duncan, plus Catherine who came early for set up (tents, sound, cross course, gantry, banner, etc), and the ride leaders Vanessa, John, Andrew, Bill, Ritchie, and Steve. Liam did music and MC support, Una shot video; stay tuned for the edit. David, Brenna and Duncan coached cross. Duncan soldiered to the bitter end, leaving last, dropping off parking racks with Rob Mickelberry who picked them up Friday and came and got them and took them back. Between a wedding and the reception.

Though there were only three weeks to prepare and a modest turnout (100- 150 for the ride (looked great on the chek coverage though), 3-400 total attendees), everyone seemed very happy with the outcome.

A bit of a civics lesson: Oak Bay police said this could not have happened before. But with a sympathetic mayor (Nils Jensen, rode and stayed for the whole day, cycling advocate Councillor Michele Kirby who suggested Oak Bay needed a bike festival, and Recreation manager Janet Barclay jumping on the chance to apply for a grant AND aiming it to cycling. Great, but that would have been still not enough without the essential piece: community support, which you all provided.

The proof we're essential? Oak Bay Recreation is committing to the festival even if they don't get the grant next year. That would not have happened without you.

[Lister Farrar]

Also big thanks to Gillian Carleton who showed why we value Olympians so much. She spoke about believing in what's possible, overcoming difficulties like a cracked pelvis 6 months out from the Olympics, and the value of teammates. And invited her mum's triathlon club to come down too. She shared with David that she averaged 6 watts on her power metre for the community ride. And was speculating about sending the file to her coach to see if it "counted".

Best quote of the day to 6 year old Jonathon Hart (son of club kit order guru Hugh Hart). While watching John leap his bike off his bus: "Wow, my dad probably can't even do that!"

Some interesting ideas for next year came out of the attendees this year:

Bike trains for families with kids from the four corners of Oak Bay to the festival. Thanks to Oak Bay Community association's Jill Croft for mentioning the bike train, and Oak Bay Bikes marketing lead Alexa Shenstone who noted it must be hard to get a family of four with small kids to the festival without driving. And 2+2 = bike trains to the festival. Councillor Kirby and Jill Croft organized one this spring that saw 100+ kids ride to Willows from north and south. For older folks, it seems crazy that we have to organize a ride to school program for kids, but it's just fallen off the parent radar. Margaret Jenkins school has it's worst traffic, get this, the day of bike club as parents drive bikes to school.

Slow food ride: get a wrist band and tour Oak Bay delis, urban farms, produce sellers and restaurants offering samplers...if you arrive by bike. Plus an intro to back lanes and trails to connect the food dots. (Deirde Hill (Dave Hill is her husband) was part of this one)

Novelty bikes: swing bike, reverse steering bike, Penny farthing races, bike throw, coffee carrying contest in the cross course. (Andeas, Fairfield)

Hook up the existing clubs to start or pause their regular rides from the festival. Probably need an industrial level coffee supplier.

Do a race on the festival day.(Dave S.) Windsor is logical, but not really part of the same venue. Maybe a Stucky Life scavenger hunt type ride?

Bike stunts from Margaret Jenkins and Monastery school bike clubs were busy all day. Big thanks to TS's Mike Peters, an Lara and Mike McCulloch. Everyone from BC Cup level downhillers to tiny kids on run bikes. Provincial Team roadie Henri De Boever from Russ Hays was also seen riding a teeter tooter and bridges on his carbon fibre road bike and lycra.

World ranked number 6 John Webster wowed the crowd and then coached at the school club bke stunts. He wants to do school visits next year to show them what's possible on a bike. His fee would be really reasonable spread over three schools and he can ft thee in a day.

Tractor pull with cargo bikes (John Luton)

More welcome for the debrief and planning meeting to come.

[icraib]

Some images taken through the day:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oakbaybike ... 607175573/

My appreciation goes to Lister and all the club members who did some fabulous work on such a short time line......

Ian

[Andrew]

Lister, tremendous work getting this together. This really did a lot of good for our club and cycling in Victoria. Apart from participating as a volunteer, it was fun. Next year will get a bunch more folks out. Lots of great ideas for next year. Love the idea of bike trains, novelty bikes, contests et cetera. Maybe a poker run with prizes, scavengers hunts, tandem races, coolest/strangest bike contests.....